Basenotes › Basenotes Forums › Fragrance Discussion › Male Fragrance Discussion › MFD Archive › Pronounciation of Rive Gauche
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Pronounciation of Rive Gauche

post #1 of 41
11/15/06 at 10:33am
Thread Starter 
Is it pronounced "Riva Gosch" with the o long? My French sucks, but my German is "gut"!
Reply
Reply

Features on Basenotes

Petals Falling From The Sky - A Report From The Cote d'Azur's Bataille De Fleurs
Greatest Hits: Annick Menardo
Basenotes Reader Awards 2013 - Finalists Announced.
post #2 of 41
11/15/06 at 10:43am
AFAIK it's standard French pronounciation would be.. *ahem*

Reeve [Go Sh] (not "gosh" but go and sh said as one word)
Reply
Reply
post #3 of 41
11/15/06 at 10:50am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Biffo_the_Bear

AFAIK it's standard French pronounciation would be.. *ahem*

Reeve [Go Sh] (not "gosh" but go and sh said as one word)

Perfect!
Reply
Reply
post #4 of 41
11/15/06 at 11:11am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Biffo_the_Bear

AFAIK it's standard French pronounciation would be.. *ahem*

Reeve [Go Sh] (not "gosh" but go and sh said as one word)

While we're at it, Hermes is pronounced "Air-Mez" right?
Reply
Reply
post #5 of 41
11/15/06 at 11:13am
Quote:
Originally Posted by scentconnoisseur

While we're at it, Hermes is pronounced "Air-Mez" right?

I'd say Air-mays tbh.. I'm not actually sure if there's a phonetic 'mez' sound in French, although I could be wrong
Reply
Reply
post #6 of 41
11/15/06 at 11:24am
Airmass I would say, no z and a short a, emphasis on the second syllable.
Reply
Reply
post #7 of 41
11/15/06 at 12:25pm
How about Égoïste? Ewa-east?
Reply
Reply
post #8 of 41
11/15/06 at 12:29pm
Is the 's' in Hermès pronounced? I always thought it was pronounced 'Air Meh' with emphasis on first syllable.
Reply
Reply
post #9 of 41
11/15/06 at 12:44pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by manicboy

[...] but my German is "gut"!

So your German is "gut"...

You don't have to apologize :-)

Nice regards,
A German
Reply
Reply
post #10 of 41
11/15/06 at 12:49pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by gimpy

How about Égoïste? Ewa-east?

No, the oi is not like the one in "Bois", the i is actually an ï which makes it more like aigoEAST. The ai like in air.
Reply
Reply
post #11 of 41
11/15/06 at 12:51pm
How about Terre D' Hermes

Tear-deh-airmays?
Reply
Reply
post #12 of 41
11/15/06 at 12:51pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by GenuineImitationLife

Is the 's' in Hermès pronounced? I always thought it was pronounced 'Air Meh' with emphasis on first syllable.

I think it is. The s is not a plural (which would not be pronounced). And it's emphasis on the second syllable.
Reply
Reply
post #13 of 41
11/15/06 at 12:54pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by mason

How about Terre de Hermes

Tear-dah-airmays?

It's actually Terre d'Hermès, which is about TeardAirmass, said as one word, emphasis on mass. Tear like in "tear things up" not "tears of joy", of course.
Reply
Reply
post #14 of 41
11/15/06 at 12:59pm
One that has been going through my head lately is -

Meh-lay-zeem

(millesime)

Fun to say the weird way!
Reply
Reply
post #15 of 41
11/15/06 at 1:03pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by perfectfeet

One that has been going through my head lately is -

Meh-lay-zeem

(millesime)

Fun to say the weird way!


It most probably is:
mee ay zeem, said in one word, emphasis on last syllable. Not quite as fun, though.
Reply
Reply
post #16 of 41
11/15/06 at 1:11pm
I've been pronouncing all of these wrong
Reply
Reply
post #17 of 41
11/15/06 at 1:20pm
while we're at the name game.. I have a couple I need clarification on... I posted the first on another thread months ago, but there wasn't a consensus.. so I'll ask again.

Xeryus: I pronounce it.. "Zeh-ree-uhs" Is that correct?
Yatagan: I pronounce "Yah-tih-gahn"?
Casran: I pronounce "Cahz-rahn"?
Philosykos : "Phil-oss-ick-oase"?
Piper Nigrum: Is it "Nie-grumm" or "Nee-grumm"?
Endymion: "Ehnd-ee-mie-awn"?

a
Reply
Reply
post #18 of 41
11/15/06 at 2:54pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by scentconnoisseur

While we're at it, Hermes is pronounced "Air-Mez" right?

air-MESS
Reply
Reply
post #19 of 41
11/15/06 at 2:57pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by fakepurseninja

It most probably is:
mee ay zeem, said in one word, emphasis on last syllable. Not quite as fun, though.

mee-lay-ZEEM
Reply
Reply
post #20 of 41
11/15/06 at 3:02pm
I'm really glad I got into cologne because now I can actually use all the French I learned in high school!

Givenchy: zhi-vahn-she
That's the closest I can think to type it, at least.
Reply
Reply
post #21 of 41
11/15/06 at 3:04pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by nearfantastica

while we're at the name game.. I have a couple I need clarification on... I posted the first on another thread months ago, but there wasn't a consensus.. so I'll ask again.

Xeryus: I pronounce it.. "Zeh-ree-uhs" Is that correct?
Yatagan: I pronounce "Yah-tih-gahn"?
Casran: I pronounce "Cahz-rahn"?
Philosykos : "Phil-oss-ick-oase"?
Piper Nigrum: Is it "Nie-grumm" or "Nee-grumm"?
Endymion: "Ehnd-ee-mie-awn"?

Xeryus zair-ee-ÜS (Ü = say "ee" with your lips rounded for "oo")

Yatagan ya-ta GAHN (don't pronounce the N, just nasalize the preceding vowel)

Not sure about Casran. The box looks like there's a hacek over the "s," which might suggest it's supposed to be Czech.

Piper Nigrum is Latin, not French.

Endymion can be like the Englsih, I think.
Reply
Reply
post #22 of 41
11/15/06 at 3:12pm
Guys, this is the age of digital media. It would be a great addition to BN if there was a "soundboard" with mp3s/wavs/ of native speakers pronouncing the major houses and perfume names, as there is, thank God, for those darn celtically named Single Malts: http://www.dcs.ed.ac.uk/home/jhb/whisky/pronounc.html
A major project, admittedly, but worthwhile perhaps?
Reply
Reply
post #23 of 41
11/15/06 at 3:21pm
Ok, so is it

Mee lay zeem

or

Mee yay seem

?

Lol!

Blah Blah Blah
:brolly:
Reply
Reply
post #24 of 41
11/15/06 at 3:23pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by JaimeB

mee-lay-ZEEM

Right, the ll is actually pronounced. I thought it wasn't (like in mille for thousand).
Reply
Reply
post #25 of 41
11/15/06 at 3:24pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by the_good_life

Guys, this is the age of digital media. It would be a great addition to BN if there was a "soundboard" with mp3s/wavs/ of native speakers pronouncing the major houses and perfume names, as there is, thank God, for those darn celtically named Single Malts: http://www.dcs.ed.ac.uk/home/jhb/whisky/pronounc.html
A major project, admittedly, but worthwhile perhaps?


For many designers, there's this:
http://fashion.about.com/cs/designers/l/blpronounce.htm

My real playing ability is somewhat fudged up, so I can't test this.
Reply
Reply
post #26 of 41
11/15/06 at 6:18pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by JaimeB

air-MESS

Depending on your tastes in Hermes, "air mess" may be an apt description of their scents. Me, I'm quite indifferent to them though I've yet to delve in Rocabar or Equipage.
Reply
Reply
post #27 of 41
11/17/06 at 6:11pm
How about "Chergui"?
Reply
Reply
post #28 of 41
11/18/06 at 8:33am
English guides to the pronunciation of many fragrance names are in the entries here:

http://www.fragrancedirectory.info/usadirectory/
Reply
Reply
post #29 of 41
11/18/06 at 8:45am
Terre d´Hermes is pronounced Térr daehrméss(ae is laike a fusion of e and a...not a dipthonge)
and the world millesimé wich means "vintage" is pronounced mee-leh-zeem-éh

cheers!
Reply
Reply
post #30 of 41
11/18/06 at 9:38am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Halo

Terre d´Hermes is pronounced Térr daehrméss(ae is laike a fusion of e and a...not a dipthonge)
and the world millesimé wich means "vintage" is pronounced mee-leh-zeem-éh

cheers!

Nope, it is "millésime" which means the last e is not audible.
Reply
Reply
post #31 of 41
11/18/06 at 10:17am
you are right...i assumed millésimé was the right word in Tabarome for instance....
there are two words millésimé : usually found in wines,
and millésime: the other which means what you corectly said

cheers
Reply
Reply
post #32 of 41
11/18/06 at 1:04pm
What about "3me" in Caron's The Third Man?
Reply
Reply
post #33 of 41
11/18/06 at 2:16pm
"True oz ee am" quickly said as one word. Finally the french lessons are paying off!?
Reply
Reply
post #34 of 41
11/18/06 at 2:21pm
Trwaziehm, yeah that's it!

I still can't get over pronouncing Puig as "pooch" (woof! oh, um sorry )
Reply
Reply
post #35 of 41
11/18/06 at 2:22pm
Actually, wouldn't that be "twah-zee-EHM"?
Reply
Reply
post #36 of 41
11/18/06 at 2:58pm
I believe that e has an accent grave, which results in something like "am" rather than "aim" or "egg". Hm, all this would be much easier with umlauts
Reply
Reply
post #37 of 41
11/20/06 at 7:06am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Biffo_the_Bear

AFAIK it's standard French pronounciation would be.. *ahem*

Reeve [Go Sh] (not "gosh" but go and sh said as one word)


I'd say: Heeve [Go Sh]
Reply
Reply
post #38 of 41
11/20/06 at 8:44am
The monikers that crack me up the most are the ones most commonly butchered by sales associates and customers alike.
Here are just a few of the scents' (and designers') names I've heard desecrated:

Caron Pour Homme = "Karen Pore HAW-mmm-uh."
(Heard this in a kiosk in Dallas.)

Tsar = "tuh-SAHR"
(Heard this from a Dallas yuppie who, by her own admission, always bought this for her husband because it "smells real classy.")

J'ai Osé = "Jay OH-see."
(Don't remember where I heard that one, but it's a favorite even today.)

Fidgi = "Fijjy."
(Guess that's kind of like "fidgety," only with less "-et" and more "fidj." Don't remember where I heard this, but I sure remember grinning upon hearing it. Now bring me some fijjy pudding. )

Versace Jeans Couture = "Vur-saw-CHEE Jeans Cooter."
(Overheard in a mall in Charleston, SC.)

Yves St. Laurent = "Yee-vuhs Sah LOW-ruhnt"
(Overheard in a mall in Tulsa. At least the S.A. in question got the middle part halfway right.)

Terre d'Hermès = "Terry DUR-meeze."
(This was offered to me -- in an ear piercing Long Island "honk," no less -- in a dept. store in Manhattan.)

By the way, it's "proNUNciation," not "proNOUNciation."
Reply
Reply
post #39 of 41
11/21/06 at 10:09am
One more . . . I can't believe I forgot this dandy:
Le Mâle = "Luh Mah-LAY"

Heard this doozy in a dept. store in Cincinnati five or six years ago. Guess she (the S.A. in question) was trying a little too hard to be "all Frenchified." (It didn't work, nor did it make the sale.)

Btw, this WAS the same S.A. who also tried (albeit in vain) to appeal to my homoerotic side by saying (with a wink and a nudge, no less), "Pretty hunky bottle, huh?"
Reply
Reply
post #40 of 41
11/21/06 at 10:18am
tvlamp: Someone should make these SAs familiar with the concept of foreign languages...
Reply
Reply
post #41 of 41
11/22/06 at 5:42pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by tvlampboy

The monikers that crack me up the most are the ones most commonly butchered by sales associates and customers alike.
Here are just a few of the scents' (and designers') names I've heard desecrated:

Caron Pour Homme = "Karen Pore HAW-mmm-uh."
(Heard this in a kiosk in Dallas.)

Tsar = "tuh-SAHR"
(Heard this from a Dallas yuppie who, by her own admission, always bought this for her husband because it "smells real classy.")

J'ai Osé = "Jay OH-see."
(Don't remember where I heard that one, but it's a favorite even today.)

Fidgi = "Fijjy."
(Guess that's kind of like "fidgety," only with less "-et" and more "fidj." Don't remember where I heard this, but I sure remember grinning upon hearing it. Now bring me some fijjy pudding. )

Versace Jeans Couture = "Vur-saw-CHEE Jeans Cooter."
(Overheard in a mall in Charleston, SC.)

Yves St. Laurent = "Yee-vuhs Sah LOW-ruhnt"
(Overheard in a mall in Tulsa. At least the S.A. in question got the middle part halfway right.)

Terre d'Hermès = "Terry DUR-meeze."
(This was offered to me -- in an ear piercing Long Island "honk," no less -- in a dept. store in Manhattan.)

By the way, it's "proNUNciation," not "proNOUNciation."

Too funny! Here's a few I've heard:

"John Darme" for Gendarme, they actually thought there was someone named John who designed it.
"Eter Nitty" for Eternity
"Bvvull Gary" for Bulgari
"Icky Maki" Issey Miyake
Reply
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: MFD Archive

Features on Basenotes

Petals Falling From The Sky - A Report From The Cote d'Azur's Bataille De Fleurs
Greatest Hits: Annick Menardo
Basenotes Reader Awards 2013 - Finalists Announced.
Basenotes › Basenotes Forums › Fragrance Discussion › Male Fragrance Discussion › MFD Archive › Pronounciation of Rive Gauche